An industry measurement released by the American Gaming Association (AGA) on a quarterly basis showed gross gaming revenue in the US set a new record in the second quarter of 2021.
New Quarterly Revenue Record
The Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker, which features gross gaming revenue (GGR) both at the state and national level and broken into individual gaming verticals, revealed the national commercial gaming revenue from traditional casino games, sports betting, and iGaming exceeded $13.6 billion in Q2 2021.
Q2 2021 GGR smashed the previous record of quarterly GGR posted in Q3 2019 by 22.5%, and compared year-over-year, posted a nearly 500% increase to the coronavirus-stricken Q2 2020 reading and 26.3% increase to the GGR in the second quarter of 2019.
Compared on a sequential base, the second quarter GGR reading represents a 22.6% increase to Q1 2021, showing a continued recovery for gaming, driven by expanded capacity and an increase in consumer spending.
While gaming outperformed the broader US economy for a second consecutive quarter, expanding at a 6.5% rate annually and having generated $24.8 billion in the first 6 months of the year, other segments of the industry like live entertainment, dining, bookings, meetings, and conventions are still to rebound fully.
“These first half results are truly remarkable. It is even more impressive when you consider commercial gaming revenue was at its lowest point ever just a year ago. This is a testament to our resilience and commitment to providing customers safe environments and world-class entertainment experiences.”
Bill Miller, President and CEO, AGA
Traditional Casino Spearheading the Rebound
The exceptional GGR quarterly reading was achieved thanks to the increase in consumer activity, fueled by the optimistic economic outlook and gradual easing of restrictions at land-based casinos, the backbone of the gaming industry, where combined slot and table games revenue registered a record $11.8 billion, to surpass the previous record by nearly 10% and post a 12% increase on the respective pre-pandemic quarter in 2019.
Slot games revenue grew by 16.7% compared to Q2 2019, while table games posted a marginal 0.8% growth, mainly due to restrictions related to the number of players seated at tables and some table games being suspended as a whole. Record revenue also coincided with a continued high level of spend per casino visit.
Revenue from iGaming in the quarter reached $901 million, setting a new record and growing by 14.9% in the first quarter, while sports betting posted its second-best quarter-to-date with $888.9 million, down 7.5% on a sequential base due to a quieter sports calendar. Combined iGaming and sports betting revenue as a share of the total fell slightly in the quarter to 13.1% from the 15.7% in Q1 2021.